Sydney's best coffee

Coffee Alchemy

Marrickville

If you are stinging for a big breakfast then this is not the place for you. Coffee Alchemy does coffee only, all the time. One of the original temples dedicated to the black gold, and still one of the best. You can get a bit crazy and order the cold drip in a soda siphon. That’s right: Cold. Fizzy. Coffee!

Mecca: Ultimo

Ultimo

While all of their coffees are worth a hot damn, we go for the macchiatos, short blacks and ristrettos. For something a little lighter and more floral go for the filter coffee - the resulting brew doesn't have any of the tang and twang you might find in an espresso  and yet has far more caffeine, given the water has more time to party with the coffee. 

Single Origin

Surry Hills

The teeny-weeny café has a few stout tables and chairs and a floor staff of spunks serving stupendous Sydney espresso. Suffice to say, the guys who work the bean down at Single O are trippers. On caffeine, that is. Have a heart-starting ristretto and follow up with a more calming flat white to get a good grip on the magic these fella's weave.

Wedge Espresso

Glebe

Wedge is owned and run by Toby Wilson. He was last seen pulling espressi at Surry Hills coffee destination Le Monde. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the coffee here is the best thing this side of Mecca in Ultimo. They use Perth’s Five Senses coffee – a superior brew, Wilson reckons, because of the lighter roast. “It gives you a more honest taste, where you’re tasting the bean rather than the roast."

Corduroy

Surry Hills

Opened by Little Marionette roaster Ben Stronach and managed by Nigel Park, Corduroy is the third prong in the trifecta of awesome that sits at the top of Foster Street, tucked in next to Tio’s and the Hotel Hollywood. Coffee comes first here and they punch out some really excellent espressi to the soundtrack of sweet '70s tunes like Mungo Jerry and Fleetwood Mac.

Campos Coffee

Newtown

At Campos, a cramped corner of coffee-crazed Sydney, the baristas are as much a part of the action as the black magic elixirs that draw connoisseur crowds from all over town. Three men in black – half men, half machines, really – move as one to background jazz, arms thrusting, wrists snapping, hands thwacking like trip hammers and torsos twisting with the effort of finding and grinding, tamping and clamping.

The Little Marionette: Balmain

Balmain

Tucked into a little isosoles triangle-shaped nook just off Darling Street, the Little Marionette Café powers the people of the Inner West with their excellent coffee, easy banter and shapely facial hair. Grab a blanket and enjoy your beverage beneath the palms in neighbouring Gladstone Park.

The Source Espresso Bar

Mosman

A micro-roaster espresso bar serving excellent food, The Source screams of a love of coffee – from the Synesso machine on the bench to the Renegade roaster taking pride of place on the floor to the dedicated cupping and tasting area. This is great espresso, bought in small lots from single estates.

Le Monde

Surry Hills

These guys care more about coffee than your average Joe. So much, in fact, that they taste their wares all through the day to make sure what lands on the table is A-grade. They also move very quickly, funnily enough.

Double Roasters

Marrickville

Double Roasters draws in passersby with the heady aroma of freshly roasted coffee. The source of this siren scent is the stately Probat roaster – also the subject of an enormous diagram on one wall – which sits out the back churning out the Flight Path house blend. Not to mention fragrant batches of Rainforest Alliance, organic and single-origin coffee beans that come in take-home packs.